IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
1 Farewell To A Legend
MOVIE legend Kirk Douglas died at the age of 103 on February 5.
“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard of us all to aspire to... but to me and my brothers, Joel and Peter, he was simply dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband,” wrote son Michael Douglas in a statement. “Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for genera›ons to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet. Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad – I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son.”
Born ‘Issur Danielovitch’ in New York to Jewish Russian parents who arrived in America in 1912, started his acting career on the Broadway stage in 1940 before he enlisted in the US Navy. Following service in World War II, he returned to the theatre before finding fame on the big screen. He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1959 for his role in and went on to become one of the most revered and beloved Hollywood icons of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in over 70 movies and picking up a number of accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, France’s top award, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and an honourary Oscar in 1995. He also landed Oscar nods in 1953 for and in 1957 for his acclaimed performance as artist Vincent Van Gogh in the biopic . survived a helicopter crash in 1991 and a stroke in 1996. He chronicled his life in the 1988 autobiography, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce officials paid their respects to the legend by placing flowers on Walk of Fame star.
